Wasteland Echoer.

Chapter 501: Replacement of "Heart"

Circle after circle of pure white steam emerged from the high-speed running body of the “Eternal Mechanical Heart”, rising and disappearing continuously.

Strangely, the steam was not affected by the terrifying light emitted by the red burning liquid, and still retained the white glow that seemed to have descended from the real "God's Realm" in this dark, chaotic, and bright red world.

In the process of rising upwards, they would briefly stop at the top of the "Eternal Mechanical Heart" for a second or two, forming a circle of strange existence that was almost the same as an angel's halo.

"Ah! Power! This is pure power!" Nicholas' throat emitted overlapping ethereal sounds, like a demon breaking free from the painful shackles of hell. A ball of red flame also formed from the bottom of the "Eternal Mechanical Heart" in a timely manner and poured into Nicholas' body through the pure black pipe.

"Are you going to sacrifice yourself? You want to die!" Dak shouted.

Perhaps it was because of his sympathy for the danger faced by the Lost Ones, or because he was in a dream created by the Prophet, which revealed all of his most real and caring emotions of "kindness", that Dark temporarily forgot about the danger and fear and began to worry about his enemies.

However, his instinct as a warrior soon made him abandon these dangerous emotions. Seeing that the "Eternal Mechanical Heart" was still continuously pouring power and fire into Nicholas' not-so-tall body, Dak took a deep breath, first firmly grasped the ice axe in his hand, and took a few steps back.

Then he took a sudden step forward, and using the momentum from his running start, he threw the axe in his hand out with all his strength.

Whoosh! puff!
The dull sound of chopping meat came from Nicholas' chest.

The ice axe accurately hit the burnt clothes that smelled of decay, mildew and smoke, as well as the semi-mechanical heart behind it that had turned from azure to bright red.

But the strange thing was that Nicholas still stood there as steady as a rock. Not only did he not retreat an inch because of the impact, he even straightened his chest on purpose. His muscles contracted slightly and he actually crushed the ice axe into pieces.

Immediately afterwards, more flames and energy, as well as the magical power inexplicably generated from the dream space, poured into his body more frantically. The red glow brought by the flames quickly expanded along with his body.

A sound similar to that of a balloon expanding came from Nikola's increasingly huge body. Dak discovered that as his body grew and the red flame glow covered his skin, the "Eternal Mechanical Heart" in front of Nikola was shrinking rapidly.

It was as if... no, it was as if Nikola's body absorbed the energy and volume of the "Eternal Mechanical Heart", causing the sizes of the two to be swapped.

Now, Nikola has grown into a twenty-meter-tall giant with a roughly human-like appearance, and the "Eternal Mechanical Heart" has shrunk to a size of less than one meter.

Looking at his huge body, Nicholas contracted his arms, which were mainly charred black and covered with winding blood vessels as red as magma. Feeling the powerful strength he had never obtained before, Nicholas let out a deep laugh.

Even though the pitiful clothes covering his body had completely disappeared, his muscles had become several times stronger, his hands and feet had become as ugly and broad as those of a beast, and except for his head, no part of his body tissue retained its original human appearance, Nicholas did not care.

He felt that his body and strength were still lacking the last bit of replenishment. After a little thought, Nicholas simply pulled out all the "tiny" (Nicholas' body had expanded several times) black pipes connected to his back, and reached out to pinch the "Eternal Mechanical Heart" which was not much bigger than his palm and emitted a faint blue light, which was barely suspended by the residual strength. In front of Dak, he actually stretched out his sharp nails and scratched his chest.

Phew!

Splashes of burning liquid with sparks, azure blood and dark red unknown mucus flowed out from the breach.

Many flames also rose up synchronously with the wound, burning and making loud sizzling sounds.

Then, with a painful groan, Nicholas grabbed his weak, young, semi-mechanical heart, which had been overloaded due to the expansion of his body, and twisted it hard, pulling it off.

Even though it was a heart that belonged to the lost one, which was already half broken, with burning fluid all over the floor and could no longer be used.

Dark had a new understanding of Nicholas' cruelty. Even though he had a strong mental strength and was accustomed to many extraordinary and evil things, it was still beyond Dark's expectation that Nicholas would be so cruel to him.

"Fortunately, this is a dream. The ugliness and kindness of human nature will be magnified along with the power. If I were to encounter such a cruel 'monster' in reality..." Dark couldn't help but shudder, pouting and muttering:

"I'm afraid not many people can maintain their mental stability. Those novelists who stay in Binglin City all day long and do nothing, pointing fingers at the [soldiers] at the front always think that war is easy and that it is fun to take risks in dangerous places at the front.

"They even say horrifying things like 'Federation [soldiers] at the front only need to fight well, while the generals at the rear have to consider a lot.' If they were to see Nicholas now... hahahaha, they would definitely fall to the ground, shitting and pissing, either crying and begging for the monsters to spare them, or standing there like a fool, waiting to be crushed and trampled."

Thinking of this, Dak actually laughed out loud, and the fear and discomfort that had been lingering in his heart just now suddenly dissipated. He understood that the more oppressive and dangerous the atmosphere was, the more he needed a little "joke" to adjust himself.

However, Nicholas was not done with the damage to his own body.

The broken heart that was discarded casually still bounced vigorously on the ground for more than ten times before it turned into a pile of worthless dull powder under Nicholas's huge, broad feet that looked like the strange beasts that haunted the eastern part of the Federation in ancient times. "Broken... useless things... only have a annihilated... fate. And the empty... heart needs... something sacred or powerful... to fill it." Nicholas said in a trembling voice, as if the pain of his heart being ripped out had already penetrated into his soul and spinal cord, forcing him to open his bloody mouth and breathe rapidly.

Even though he was enduring the pain of a monster, he still grinned, revealing his sharp, long canine teeth, and laughed even more mysteriously than a demon:
“Hahahaha…hahahahaha…hahahahaha, this ‘Eternal Mechanical Heart’ is used to fill the void… an object of power. It belongs to the Ranked Monster, and that long-annihilated organization… once gave it the code name ‘MB-11’.

"It's just a pity that although it is a rank monster, it only belongs to our Malski family. We have the blood of the God of War Mars flowing in our bodies. This figure belongs to the ancient mythology of the Central Empire. If we stop fighting, our bodies will be overloaded and explode.

"The gods have endowed us with excellent fighting qualities and violent genes, and also given us this object of power that is worth passing on forever. As long as... in a dream... in front of a person with a 'divine' nature, I can use it to replace my pitiful, weak heart, then... I can obtain its soul and resolve this violent curse that has lasted for thousands of years for our entire family."

"Oh, I see." Dak said angrily:

"Your purpose in coming to me is not to destroy me on behalf of the Spear of Odyssey, nor to recruit me into your group. Your real purpose is to use me to seek benefits for your family. It's so high, one layer after another, like a chain of iron chains, I will never find the truth.

"So, Nikolai, what do you want me to do? Just watch here, or contribute to your ridiculous purpose?"

"I don't want anything," said Nicholas.

He neither committed any further aggressive acts nor left the dream.

Instead, he opened the crack in his chest again in front of Dark and roughly placed the "Eternal Mechanical Heart" inside.

Buzz, buzz, buzz...

Buzz, buzz, buzz...

A head-numbing sound spread from Nicholas' monstrous body. Dak noticed that the sound was accompanied by slight vibrations. Nicholas and his body, as well as the poor dust, particles and fragments on the ground, were all "jumping" non-stop, as if they were presenting a powerful rock song to death.

Immediately afterwards, the pure white silk threads that emitted a holy glow, with a light that made people feel comfortable and peaceful, emerged from Nicholas' chest and spread throughout his body.

The originally blazing crimson flames turned into pools of pure white light, and the broad body gradually curled and shrank inward, allowing Nikola to regain his human body.

The dust, blood, and lava on the ground all disappeared, and under the influence of the Holy Light, they became flat, soft soil that exuded a strange fragrance.

Soon, the bright white sun broke through the dark clouds and shone again on the earth, bringing a rare vitality to the entire gloomy, dark and depressing world, and all things began to flourish.

When the light disappeared, Dak found that his feet were stepping on a vast wilderness. He knew that this clean and beautiful scene did not belong to the current wasteland era. Perhaps a thousand years ago, the Mongols had seen this refreshing scene when they were grazing leisurely on the Naibsk Plain.

"Dak Tillis, I really don't want to be an enemy of a divine [Troublemaker] like you. I still hope that you can recognize Vasily's evil and choose the right path." Nicholas' voice appeared behind Dark.

This time, although Nicholas' voice still had the deepness of a mature man, it was much gentler. However, he couldn't turn around or make any more sounds.

He knew that this was a sign that the dream was about to end.

"We [Dream Makers] and [Prophets] will not really create nightmares for people. All illusions and delusions will lead to tranquility and peace. Perhaps, this is the meaning of our existence. Dak, I am sorry that you have to watch my ugly performance. However, I, including our 'Spear of Odyssey', still look forward to meeting you in the mysterious world within the 'Wind Wall'." Nicholas paused for a few seconds and continued:

“I hope that we don’t end up being enemies.”

As Nicholas' voice grew fainter, Dak discovered that the entire field began to pull up and "run" into the distance, and the sky, grass, and clouds began to fall apart like a shattered mirror.

Intense vibrations and a strong sense of suffocation entered Dak's senses, and the world around him was once again filled with the choking air and dim mist of the original dream...

After an unknown amount of time, Dak finally woke up from his deep dream. He dragged his tired and relaxed body down from Bai Jie's bed, opened the curtains with sunflower patterns, pulled the plastic handle, and opened the glass window.

The bright sunlight and refreshing air of the early morning filled his every sense. Even the "Silent Wolf Fang" and "Tears of Bizuni" worn on his chest were constantly emitting a red light that was much weaker than the sunlight.

　Thanks to 001AABBCC for the monthly ticket.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)